


Stronger Together

by guidetothegalaxy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Pack Dynamics, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-17 01:56:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12355056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guidetothegalaxy/pseuds/guidetothegalaxy
Summary: “Oh my god Lance, that’s a wolf,” she said spotting the dog a few shops down.Lance was already picking up the pace to get closer, “No, he’s just fluffy,” Lance said as held back from breaking into a run.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a werewolf story even though I don't know anything about werewolves? Sorry about that...

“Okay, okay. Would you rather lose an arm or never be allowed to look at yourself in the mirror?” Lance asked turning to his companion. 

Pidge raised an eyebrow as she turned up to look at him, “What kind of question is that?” Pidge replied, her boots kicking up rain from the puddles on the sidewalk. 

“But I guess if I had to pick-” she began but Lance clamped a hand over her mouth, his voice slowly working up into a screech. 

“Look at that dog!” he yelled, loud enough to turn heads. Pidge pulled his hand away with a scowl, “Don’t touch me,” she snapped half-heartedly as she peered around him to look. 

“Oh my god Lance, that’s a fucking wolf,” she said spotting the dog a few shops down. 

Lance was already picking up the pace to get closer, “No, he’s just fluffy,” Lance said as held back from breaking into a run.

In reality, Pidge was right; it looked exactly like a wolf. The dog had a longer nose than most dogs, with small perked ears and enormously long legs. It’s fur was completely black with small hints of lighter fun on its underside. It looked like a picture straight from a National Geographic article. The only difference was the dog had a harness on around its chest and a tight muzzle around its nose. It sat motionless in front of a small coffee shop. 

“Who leaves their beautiful doggo tied up outside on a day like this?” Lance said as he reached the dog. 

Pidge grabbed his arm to pull him back before he got any closer, “It’s not even tied up. It’s just sitting there,” Pidge said peering skeptically at the massive dog. 

“Aww, he’s so good. Just sitting out here waiting for his owner,” Lance cooed holding a hand out to the dog’s nose.

Pidge yanked him back again, “Lance, it has a muzzle on. You can’t just pet a dog that might actually be a wolf, that has a muzzle on,” she said inching backward. 

Lance pulled away from her and gently offered his hand again to the dog. The dog's head was hung low, his eyes staring straight down to the sidewalk and his ears flopped over slightly from his wet fur from the rain. He didn’t even move as Lance’s hand neared his nose. 

“He’s so sad,” Lance said softly. He slowly squatted down and dug through his backpack before finding a bag of cookies that Hunk had made him. Lance offered one out to the dog slowly.

The dog’s eyes lifted from the sidewalk slowly, his gaze meeting Lance’s. Lance dropped the cookie with another squeak. “Oh my god, Pidge this dog is so beautiful. His eyes are purple!” Lance shouted causing the dog’s ears to momentarily flatten against his head from the sound. 

The dog’s head dropped to the fallen cookie, his nose nudging it slowly. A soft frustrated whine escaped as it became obvious the muzzle was too tight to open his mouth. 

Pidge slowly approached seeing the dog’s lack of aggression, “Poor thing,” she said gently her hand slowly nearing his head. As soon as her hand made contact with the dog… nothing happened. Her eyes widened slightly, relief flooding her as she pet the dog’s ears slowly. 

“Who leaves their dog out here and ties his mouth up so tight that he can’t even eat!” Lance wailed softly. He looked down at the dog again, “He’s just so precious!” Lance cried taking his hands on either side of the dog’s head and holding his head. The dog’s head cocked in confusion as soon as Lance let go. Lance nearly started crying, overwhelmed by the dog. “He’s just so cute!” Lance said with a sniff. 

“You’re so dramatic,” Pidge said with a scoff, but her hand never left the dog’s thick fur. 

“I need a picture,” Lance declared standing up fast enough to cause the dog to flinch. He pulled his phone out and started taking picture after picture. The dog’s eyes turned down again. “Whoever owns this precious boy is a jerk,” Lance said as he tried to get the dog to look up again. 

Pidge cleared her throat behind Lance and he turned around to look at her. “Wha-” he started but stopped seeing the man next to her. He was nearly twice her height and despite his lanky, he was obviously strong. His hair was down to his chest and a brilliant white. His eyes were staring past both Lance and Pidge and glaring at the dog with hatred visible. His lips pressed together as he his eyes shifted to Lance. 

Behind him a young woman with short black hair and a leather jacket stood with her arms crossed, her eyes cold.

“What were you saying about me?” the man said, his voice laced with venom. 

Lance’s jaw dropped and he felt his voice shake as he spoke, “Uhhh, nothing. I was just admiring your dog,” he said with a timid smile. 

“Don’t waste your time Lotor, the hunters could be here any minute,” the woman said her eyes dropping to the dog, a pang of sympathy flashing across her face.

The man’s face shifted completely shifted and a smirk slowly spread across his face. “Nonsense Acxa, you know how much I love my dog,” Lotor replied, snapping his fingures to summon the dog closer. 

Lance smiled softly, seeing the man’s shift in attitude. “What’s his name? Does he know any tricks?” Lance asked with a friendly smile. Pidge’s eyes stared into Lance, the message clear; stop talking. 

“Of course. He’s pretty stupid but I managed to teach him a few tricks,” Lotor said with a dirty smirk at the dog. “Fluffy, speak,” the man commanded, his voice hard. 

The dog’s eyes shifted up to meet the man, his eyes narrowed as a low growl escaped his throat. 

Lotor’s face hardened into anger and he stepped forward, his body looming over the dog. The dog held his gaze for a few moments before dropping it with a soft whine and rolling over onto his back, his neck bared to Lotor. 

“Good boy Fluffy, you know your place,” Lotor said, his voice hard and eyes gleaming. 

Pidge narrowed her eyes at the man, feeling a hatred for the man already bubbling to the surface. 

“You named your dog Fluffy?” she said her voice angry as she stepped forward defensively edging her way in front of the submitted dog. 

The dog climbed slowly to his paws, his head low and ears flattened. 

“I feel like he deserves a better name, like King or something. He looks like a wolf after all,” Lance added as Pidge side stepping again. 

A soft growl stopped Lotor from responding. Pidge whirled around, fear flooding her as she stood just inches from the dog, but the dog’s eyes were looking down the street, his ears and tail perked again. 

A quiet “Uff” escaped the dog’s tied mouth as he shifted his gaze up to his owner. Lotor nodded his head like a silent conversation between the two. The dog’s muscles tensed as if to move, but turned again to his owner, his paw sliding across the tight muzzle on his nose. Lotor’s lips turned into a smile, “No,” he said his voice hard as he pointed down the street. 

The dog’s ears flattened against, his tail tucked slightly before turning sharply again down the street. The dog glanced back at Pidge and his head nodded slightly, his eyes lingering on Lance for half a second before the dog was taking off down the street, looking like a black shadow in the rainy weather. 

“Lotor, we have to go,” Acxa said, leaning in toward him. She spoke again, her voice barely above a whisper, “He’s a good fighter, but he’s muzzled, he won’t be able to fight off the hunters,” she said eyes flicking down the street.

Lotor nodded his head, turning to Pidge and Lance. “Pleasure meeting you two,” he said with a soft chuckle as he turned on his heels and walked back toward the parking lot.  
A sharp yelp forced Lance to turn back around. An even larger brown dog was heading straight toward Lotor and Acxa, but ‘Fluffy’ was streaking after him, gaining on it with every stride. 

As soon as the black dog caught up, they collided with enough force to send the both of them tumbling across the road, causing a car to swerve to miss the two massive dogs. The growls were almost deafening as the two beasts rolled through the streets, their bodies intertwined in a deadly battle. 

“Hey!” Lance screamed, trying to stop the bloody fight. He stepped forward, but stopped, horror growing as a third beast skid around the corner. It locked its eyes onto the two dogs and threw itself onto the smaller black dog, grabbing its throat and ripping it from its companion. 

The black dog whirled around, claws slashing and chest heaving as he swiped his paws. His mouth still bound tightly by the muzzle, it became apparent he was losing badly.  
Lance watched in horror as Pidge took off down the street after the dogs, her shrieks hardly audible over the dog’s growls. Lance chased after her, “Pidge stop!” he yelled finally catching her.

Pidge whirled on him, her eyes brimmed with tears, “Lance, he’s muzzled!” she cried launching forward, but Lance held her back.  
The three dogs moved so fast it was hard to see what was happening, but the roar of a car engine heading straight toward the three dogs caused them to slip apart. The two brown dogs looked up, his eyes falling on the car as it charged straight toward them. They turned sharply and ran, one limping heavily on its back leg as blood trailed down it’s dark fur. 

The black dog didn’t move. He lay in the puddled street, his black fur clinging with water and blood. 

“Stop!” Lance screeched as the car continued to barrel toward the fallen beast. He turned his head, afraid to watch the collision. 

An ear-splitting squeak as the car skid to a stop, just inches from the dog’s frame. Lance inhaled sharply, peering out from his hands. 

Lotor sat in the passenger seat, fingers drumming on the steering wheel as he spoke to Axca next to him. 

She slowly got out of the car, her face pale and strained as she approached the dog. She bent down next to the dog and placed a hand on his side. Her eyes were soft as she ran her hand slowly along his side. “I’m sorry,” she whispered standing back up. Her hand was covered in blood and the sight caused her to choke back tears. 

The moment was interrupted as Lotor leaned out the window, “Is he done?” Lotor asked, his voice completely neutral. Acxa glanced back down at the dog laying in the street, 

“He’s dead,” she said her voice strained. 

Lotor hummed softly, “If only there hadn’t been two he would have been fine,” he said leaning back into the car. 

Axca swallowed as she slowly tore her eyes from the dog and got back into the car. In a moment the car was tearing down the street, taillights vanishing.

“Oh my god,” Pidge whispered, her hand over her mouth as she stared at the dead dog in the street. Tears slowly streamed down her cheeks as she watched the blood flow from the dog’s fur through the puddles. 

Pidge slowly took a step forward, but Lance caught her arm, “Pidge, don’t,” he said his voice shaking. 

Pidge pulled away, “I can’t just leave him there!” she yelled, moving forward again, as if in a trance. 

Pidge reached the dog and kneeled down slowly, her hands instinctively resting on his bleeding sides. Her eyes widened and she slowly looked up at Lance, “Lance, he’s still alive,” she said her voice shaking. 

“Call Allura,” she said turning back to the bloody beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written just because I didn't want to do my homework, and honestly, I'm sort of embarrassed by it, but I figured I'd post it anyway so I can justify to myself it wasn't a complete waste of time. Anyway, I don't really know where I'm going with it, but enjoy I guess? I also didn't proofread it, but I'm sure you could tell that, so let me know if anything is terribly incorrect.


	2. Chapter 2

Allura was there in minutes, her vet’s office just down the street. Her truck pulled up to the curb and she lept out, medical bag in hand already as she spotted the dog. 

She bent down and picked up the beast like it was nothing. A soft whimper escaped the dog’s throat as it lifted from the ground, but Allura didn’t flinch. She hoisted the dog into the bed of the truck and opened her medical kit, instantly pulling out a small scalpel.

She stared down at the dog, her hand moving over the back of the dog’s neck. “Are you chipped?” she said, her voice hard. 

“What?” Lance asked, staring at her in confusion. Instead, the beast raised his head slowly before dropping his massive head again with a painful grunt. Allura nodded her head and pulled the skin up from the back of his neck and drew her scalpel across its skin. 

“What are you doing?” Lance shouted running forward to pull the blade from her hand, but he stopped, staring down at the metal piece she held in her bloody hand. 

“Pidge, I need you to disable this,” Allura said, handing the bloody chip to Pidge. “What- what is it?” she choked out.

“A tracking device,” Allura responded, her attention back on the dog. 

Allura slowly reached up and unclipped the muzzle. The dog reeled back, pulling his nose from the muzzle and instantly panting, his eyes wide but unfocused.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay,” Allura whispered softly running her hand over the dog’s side to calm him. 

“Can you save him?” Lance asked inching closer. 

Allura turned to him, seeming to forget they were there. “He’s in pretty rough shape, but he should be okay. But, I need you to get Shiro on the phone right now,” Allura said. 

The dog’s eyes flashed open at her words, and he tried to rise to his paws, but fell back down. Allura placed her hands on his side, pinning him to the truck bed as he settled again, but his eyes looked up sadly as Lance handed her the phone. 

“Shiro I need you to meet me at the clinic,” Allura said into the phone. “No, this is important. I think I might have found him,” she said eyes staring down at the dog. “Yes, completely black with purple eyes,” she said chewing her lip. “No, Shiro. Listen, I’m not sure. I just need you to meet me there, but please remain calm. I’m not certain,” Allura said and clicked to end the call before Shiro could reply. 

“Got it,” Pidge said looking up from the metal chip in her hands. “Allura, what’s going on? This isn’t a normal microchip,” she said her voice full of fear. 

Allura shook her head, “This isn’t the right place for this conversation,” she said looking up to the two of them. “We need to get back to the clinic,” Allura replied, her eyes looking past the both of them.

“Where is he?” Shiro’s voice echoed across the clinic. All eyes turned to him, but he didn’t care. “Allura, tell me where he is,” Shiro repeated, his voice hard. 

“Shiro, listen, we don’t know if it’s him and we don’t know if he’s changed since you knew him,” Allura replied, placing her hand on Shiro’s arm. 

“Allura, tell me where he is,” he snapped, his eyes bloodshot. Allura sighed softly and walked forward, leading Shiro down a hallway to a room in the back. “Please shout if anything happens. I’ll wait out here,” she said opening the door to let Shiro into the exam room. 

“Allura, what is happening? What’s wrong with Shiro?” Pidge said her eyes full of worry. Allura shook her head, unsure how to begin, “I believe that Shiro might have known that dog before an evil man stole him,” Allura said after careful consideration. 

Lance shook his head, “you can tell us the truth,” he said folding his arms over his chest. Pidge nodded in agreement, but the conversation was cut off by commotion from behind the door. 

Painful whimpers came from the room and a rustling of fabric drifted from the closed door. 

Allura ran forward and opened the door, fearing the worst. 

Shiro was leaned over the lab table, the massive dog’s front legs draped over Shiro’s shoulders, his head buried into Shiro’s chest. Whimpers and cries escaped the dog’s throat as his tail swiped across the table. Shiro’s arms were wrapped around the dog’s neck, his fingers buried into the dog’s fur as his chest heaved, silent sobs wracking his body as he pressed his face into the dog’s fur. 

Allura stretched out an arm to hold Lance and Pidge back from fully entering the room, but they peered around her, watching the moment unfold. 

“Oh my god, Keith, I missed you so much,” Shiro whispered softly into the dog’s fur. Pidge shoved her way into the room, her face paled and eyes wide. “Keith?” she asked staring at the two.

The dog dropped back to the table, ears flattened as he locked eyes with Pidge. Shiro whirled on his heels to face them, tears streaming down his face as he stared, wide eyed at Pidge. 

“Heath,” Shiro choked out standing like a deer in the headlights. “His name is Heath and he was my dog before he got taken,” Shiro said softly. 

The dog turned his head to stare at Shiro, eyes narrowed and he let out a snort, slowly rising to his paws. 

Pidge stared at Shiro, doubt filling her face, “Why is your dog a wolf?” she said hands on her hips. 

Allura laughed softly, “Pidge, he’s not a wolf,” she said trying to usher Pidge from the room. 

The dog locked eyes with Allura for a moment before slowly tipping his head back, a bone chilling howl escaping his throat. The sound started off soft, growing in power until it overtook the entire room, the song full of passion and life. When the dog finally lowered his head and opened his eyes again the room was silent. 

Lance stood with his mouth gaping open, eyes wide as he stared at the wolf laying on the table. 

Shiro turned toward the creature, “I hate you,” he said, but a smile spread from ear to ear. 

“Oh my god, this fucking wolf is amazing. He just completely roasted you,” Pidge said walking forward closer to the wolf. 

“I fucking knew it too. I totally called it from the beginning too, right Lance?” Pidge said folding her arms over her chest as she turned to look back at Lance. Lance’s face was ghost white as he stood staring at the wolf. She shook her head, “Okay, well not important,” she said with a shrug. 

She turned slowly to look at Shiro, “But what is important, is I thought Keith was that friend of you and Matt that went missing a few months ago as soon as you guys came back from your trip,” she said eyes narrowing. 

Shiro swallowed, “He is,” he replied chewing on his lip. 

“But you never mentioned Keith was a wolf,” Pidge said. 

“No, no, you heard me wrong. Heath. His name is Heath,” Shiro said with a soft smile. 

“You’re a terrible liar,” Pidge replied. 

“Alright!” Allura practically shouted, shoving Pidge from the room. “Let’s let Shiro get Heath home and taken care of,” she said flapping her arms as she ushered them out of the room. 

“Do you need help down?” Shiro asked softly as soon as the door shut. The wolf shook his head and stood up with a painful grunt.

“Too bad, I don’t believe you,” Shiro said and practically scooped him from the table and placed him gently on the ground. A whine of protest escaped his throat as his paws landed safely on the ground. 

“I don’t care what you want,” Shiro said in response. The wolf step tenderly forward, shaking out his matted coat as he moved. “You know, you’re lucky Allura didn’t shave you when she gave you stitches,” Shiro said with a laugh as he lead the way back to the waiting area. 

He limped after Shiro, his head hanging low as he walked tenderly through the room full of other animals. Owners all pulled their animals back as the massive wolf strode through the room, no doubt they heard his blood curdling howl. 

“Can you get in?” Shiro asked as he opened the car door. The dog snorted and leapt up into the car, a soft yelp ringing out as he landed on the seat. He whipped his head around, staring at Shiro, eyes narrowed. 

“You don’t have to pretend to be tough. I’m worried about you. We have a lot to talk about once we get home,” Shiro said as he walked around the car to the driver’s seat.


	3. Chapter 3

The ride home was completely silent, the wolf resting his head on the console, slowly drifting asleep as the familiar scent of Shiro’s car filled his nose.

They finally arrived at the apartment building, Shiro nudging the wolf awake and leading him slowly up the stairs. 

“I’ll order us dinner while you get cleaned up. Afterward, you’re telling me everything,” Shiro snapped as the wolf limped toward the bathroom. 

Nearly ten minutes later a young man limped out of the bathroom, dark black hair covering purple eyes. A loose black t-shirt covered his torso and a pair of black pants sat low on his hips. He walked uncertainly, swaying with every step. His eyes blinked faster than normal as he scanned the room, his unfocused eyes falling on Shiro as he turned around, spotting him. 

“Oh my god, Keith,” Shiro said running forward and pulling the smaller man into an embrace. 

Keith grunted as Shiro made contact with his bruised body, but he laughed softly, “I thought we did this already?” he replied. 

Shiro snorted, stepping back again, “It doesn't count. You smelled like wet dog,” he said smiling sadly. 

Keith snorted and limped across the room toward the couch. “Show me,” Shiro said nodding towards him. Keith rolled his eyes, but Shiro’s hard expression forced him to concede. He slowly lifted up his shirt, revealing a canvas of deep purple bruising and stitching that laced together bite marks. 

“Lance and Pidge told me what happened,” Shiro said, eyes not leaving Keith’s mangled torso. Keith visibly flinched, “I was hoping they would say I got hit by a car while chasing a squirrel,” Keith said with a bitter laugh. 

Shiro didn’t smile, “Keith, this is all my fault,” he said his voice threatening to break.

Keith shook his head slowly, “No, Shiro. You didn’t force me, I did it because I wanted to, not because you asked me too. I knew the risks, and I knew the consequences of the Galra Pack capturing me,” he said sitting down on the couch, tucking his legs under him. 

“I didn’t want you to do that for me,” Shiro said staring at Keith with soft eyes. Keith shrugged, “And I didn’t care what you wanted,” Keith said with a mischievous snort. 

“Did you just quote me?” Shiro said staring at Keith with a soft smile. Keith smiled timidly before slowly leaned back into the pillows, “So is Allura really an alpha? Her scent freaked me out at first,” Keith said. 

“Yeah, we have a small group around here-” Shiro started but Keith sat upright, “Whoa, wait you have a pack?” Keith said his voice slightly hurt. Shiro swallowed hard. 

“After you got captured by the Galra Pack I realized you were right. We would only be safe if we united against them, so when Allura came to town we worked together to start a loose group of united packs. We have a small pack with just Allura, Matt and I, but we have really strong alliances with the surrounding packs,” Shiro said. 

Keith snorted, “So it took me being Lotor’s pet for half a year to finally convince you to start a pack?” he said with a huff. Shiro’s eyes widened, “No, Keith, you were right all along. After you rescued Matt and I from the Galra Pack and I saw what they do,” Shiro paused, running his hand over his prosthetic arm before continuing, “And well, I realized you were right and we had to stop hiding in the shadows,” he replied. 

Keith smiled softly, “Well in that case,” Keith began as he slowly rolled himself onto his back and pushed his head back offering his throat, “I want in,” Keith said. “I don’t want to shift though, I’m too tired,” Keith laughed. 

Shiro snorted and walked over, Shiro offered a hand, “I think the pizza man is almost here and I don’t want him to be greeted by a giant three-legged wolf either, so I guess we’ll do this the classy way,” he said offering his hand to Keith. Keith gripped it with a lopsided grin, rising back into a sitting position. 

The turning of the door knob drew both of their attention back to the room. The two stared blankly at the door as Pidge, Lance, Hunk and Matt all walked in. 

Pidge, Lance and Hunk all paused at the door, mouths hanging slightly open as they stared at the strange man sitting on the couch.

Matt shoved his way past and dropped a pizza on the table, “You didn’t buy enough for all of us,” Matt snorted walking straight up to Keith. 

Keith slowly rose to his feet and Matt pulled him into a hug, “Damn, I missed you,” Matt said clapping him on the back as he stepped back. Keith grunted at the impact, “Oh, sorry,” Matt mumbled, but Keith was smiling. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Keith said purple eyes meeting Matt’s gaze. Matt snorted, “Thanks to you,” he replied.

Lance cleared his throat from the door frame. “I hate to interrupt all this gay drama between you three, but what the fuck is going on?” Lance said eyes scanning the room. “I came to see how the big bad wolf was settling in, and instead you have a strange man here,” Lance said walking forward, eyes narrowed at Keith. 

Keith’s eyes rose to meet Shiro’s, looking for guidance. Before anyone could speak Lance stopped inches from Keith and gripped his face in his hand. Keith’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Lance, ocean blue eyes meeting violet. 

“Those eyes,” Lance said dropping his hands to his side and stepping back, fear flooding his face. 

The room became silent, the only sound from the rain pattering onto the window. Pidge finally broke the silence, with a cheer. “I fucking knew it!” she said running forward into the room. All eyes whirled toward her in confusion.  
“Okay, no, listen. Since no one will believe that I called it, I brought my notebook,” she said pulling a notebook from her backpack. 

She spun around on her brother, “You’re a terrible liar by the way,” she deadpanned before turning back to the rest of the group. “Okay, so you,” she said pointing to Keith, “and you,” she said pointing to Shiro, “and my own brother!” she started but paused for dramatic effect, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me, the queen of conspiracy theories, of all people!” she said in annoyance before continuing her monologue, “are wolves. Or I guess werewolves, or whatever the proper title is, I don’t know,” she said dropping the notebook onto the table with a thwap. “Read it a weep losers,” she said sitting down on the arm of the coach. 

Everyone’s face was completely blank. No one spoke, only Keith’s laughter broke the silence. “Pidge, right?” he asked, and proceeded after getting a nodd, “I fucking love you. You have officially outranked both Shiro and Matt as my favorite person here,” he said slowly pushing himself up off the couch. 

“Hell yeah!” Pidge shouted, high fiving Keith before turning to flipping her brother off, “Suck it Matt, I outrank you!” she shouted folding her arms over her chest. 

“What the fuck just happened?” Matt said his voice soft. 

“Pidge has replaced you as my favorite Holt,” Keith offered with a shrug as he limped over to the pizza box on the table. 

Lance found himself scooting away as Keith approached, his heart pounding in his ears. “Wait, so you’re Heath or Fluffy or whatever the fuck is your name?” Lance said inching farther away as his eyes landed on the bruising and bite marks trailing up Keith’s arms. 

“Keith, actually,” Keith replied, pulling a plate from the cabinet and grabbing some pizza. “What? Like THE Keith?” Lance said, his eyes drifting to Shiro who still looked utterly shocked. 

Keith turned to Matt and Shiro, “You told him about me?” he said his head tilting slightly in confusion. Shiro smiled, “Keith, you’re basically my brother, of course I told them about you,” he said softly before his eyes whirled onto Pidge, “But I didn’t tell them about the whole wolf-thing,” he said. 

Keith shrugged, “I imagine it would have been an awkward conversation, much like I suspect the next few hours will be like,” Keith said with a shrug. 

“I don’t believe it,” Lance said, his voice cold as he stared at them. “Prove it,” he snapped his voice shaking.  
“I think it’s pretty obvious,” Pidge said offering her notebook, but Lance pushed her hand away. “Right now, you,” he said jabbing a finger toward Keith, “Prove it,” Lance said.

Hunk shook his head, “Actually as nice as that sounds I’d rather not be in a room with a giant wolf-man. I heard enough about that tonight, and I think I’d rather not witness that,” he said quickly. 

Keith placed his plate down slowly and huffed softly, his body protesting the idea. Shiro shook his head, “No, Keith. You spent nearly half a year in that form. You need to take time away from it, you know what it can do to you,” he said holding up a hand. 

Keith’s mouth dropped open as he stared at him, “H-How did you know Lotor didn’t let me shift?” Keith said his voice soft.

Shiro swallowed, “I could tell the way you were acting after you shifted back. You weren’t used to two legs or human eyes,” Shiro started then paused, a sad smile on his face, “You also didn’t recognize me at first. You’re wolf instincts had a really tight grip on you,” Shiro said with a weak smile. 

Keith visibly flinched at his words, his head dipping lower to avoid Shiro’s gaze as his face flushed red. 

Matt placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, it happens to everyone,” he said with an encouraging smile. 

“I still want to see it,” Lance demanded, inching forward again. “Lance, no. We’re keeping all of you as far away from this as possible,” Shiro said his hands on his hips in set determination. 

Pidge turned to Keith, her head brimming with questions, “So, why did you defend that asshole, Lotor? Those two brown wolves were heading straight toward him,” Pidge said her eyes locked onto Keith’s. 

A red flushed across his cheeks as he sat, “It’s a long story,” Keith mumbled, his arms folded over his chest. 

Pidge settled down on the couch, “We’ve got time,” she said with a grin, her eyes passing over the group. 

Keith sighed heavily as he lowered himself back to the couch, “You aren’t going to give up are you?” he said hopefully, but Pidge shook her head, “It’s like you already know me,” she hummed pulling her notebook out again.

Keith looked over to Shiro’s worried face, “Don’t worry, she has the right to know. I don’t think I’d be alive without them,” Keith said with a soft smile before turning back to Pidge to continue, “Lotor is the alpha of the Galra Pack. He took over after his father, Zarkon, died. He’s the asshole you met earlier today,” Keith said looking to Shiro to see if he should continue. Shiro nodded slowly, before Keith continued. “When Shiro and Matt went missing that was because of the Galra Pack. Their research brought them too close to the truth and so Zarkon put a stop to them. He captured them both which is where they got turned. When they went missing I knew what had happened. I had been trying to stop them from getting closer, but I didn’t want to tell them the truth. It was selfish and dumb, but I was afraid that I would loose them if they knew the truth. The day they managed to escape, I got captured by Lotor,” Keith concluded brushing his hair from his face.

Shiro narrowed his eyes at Keith, “Keith, we never escaped, you rescued us. You risked your pelt for us. I thought for sure Lotor had killed you,” Shiro said, meeting Keith’s eyes. 

Keith chewed his lip nervously, “He wouldn’t have killed me,” Keith replied softly. 

Shiro scowled, his face flushed with concern, “Keith, you don’t have to defend him anymore, he’s not your alpha anymore,” Shiro said his voice growing harder.

Keith’s eyes narrowed, an inhuman growl coming from the back of his throat, “Shiro, I know. I wasn’t talking about that,” he snapped. 

“Then what?” Shiro said, skepticism filling his voice.

Keith’s face softened slightly as he glanced down, “The Galra have rules against killing one of their own,” Keith said, his voice timid as he avoided Shiro’s gaze.

“Oh,” Shiro’s voice was hardly audible. He pinched his palm nervously, he hadn’t meant to back Keith into a corner like that. He had known Keith was from the Galra Pack, but he hadn’t made the connection and forced Keith to out himself to everyone.

“What?” Hunk said, his eyes wide. “I thought I was following but now I’m lost. I thought the Galra were the bad guys?” Hunk said raising an eyebrow at Keith. 

Keith huffed softly, “They are. My parents were from the Galra Pack, or at least one of them. I didn’t know them, but all Galra pups are branded when their born,” Keith said pulling the collar of his shirt down. A gruesome cut stretched across his shoulder, the skin stitched together from Allura’s handiwork, but below was a small emblem imprinted onto his skin. It sat right under his collar bone, the mark slightly faded, but still stood out against his pale skin. He pulled his shirt collar back into place, seeing the groups face at the sight of the bite marks. 

“So, you were never turned? You were born a werewolf?” Pidge asked, a pencil hovering over a notebook page. 

Keith nodded his head, “That’s why I’m still alive. The Galra have a strict rule about not killing their own. If you get turned and then join the pack, you technically aren’t Galra. Only if you’re Galra blood does it apply. I’m sure Lotor would have killed me anyway, but he knows he has dangerous enemies and so he needs pack members willing to keep guard over him, and there is always a job position open. If not, there will be after a week,” Keith said scoffing. 

“How long were you one of his guards?” Hunk asked inching his way toward the pizza box.

“I think four months. I resisted him for a while, but after two months in the arena I submitted,” Keith said, a flush of embarrassment covering his face. 

Shiro whirled on him, “Keith, you didn’t tell me you were in the arena,” he said softly, his face full of empathy.

“What’s that?” Lance asked hesitantly. 

“The Galra Pack has trials where they have fights to the death. Sometimes it’s against other weres, but sometimes it’s against other creatures like infected dogs. If a dog gets infected, they become extremely aggressive. That’s how I lost my arm,” Shiro said sadly.

Keith nodded slowly, “They moved beyond just dogs,” Keith said softly, lifting up the edge of his shirt. Four faded puffy scars marked his lower back. He dropped his shirt again, “Bear,” he said and then paused, “I think. It was hard to tell,” he said thoughtfully. 

Shiro’s face whitened, “Oh my god, Keith,” he started but Keith held up a hand. “It’s done. I don’t want to talk about it,” Keith said, his words final.

Keith rose to his feet slowly, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to grab a blanket and I’ll crash on your floor Shiro,” he said, his eyes staring out the window.

“Keith, you still live here. All your stuff is still in your room,” Shiro said with a soft smile.

Keith’s eyes ripped from the window and met Shiro’s eyes, he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. 

“I knew you were coming back,” Shiro said with a soft smile. Keith returned the gesture and slowly limped back to the room. 

“I don’t trust him,” Lance said with a pout as soon as Keith vanished.

Pidge turned to him, her eyebrow raised, she opened her mouth to speak when Keith’s voice rang out from the back room, “Lance, I have wolf ears,” he said, his voice tinged with amusement as Lance’s face flushed. 

Matt snorted as he watched Lance’s face, “Lance, Shiro and I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for him,” he said. His lips quirked up into a smirk, “Plus I totally thought he’d be your type,” he said fist bumping Pidge as she broke into laughter.

Lance shot to his feet, “Whoa, no. No way. Uh-uh. No,” he said waving his arms around for effect. 

Pidge snorted, “You even have pictures of him on your phone,” she said between laughs.

“What? No!” Lance shouted, but Hunk nodded, “Yes you do. You sent me a picture of Keith talking about how cute he was for nearly twenty minutes,” he said.

Lance’s eye widened again, “I thought he was a dog!” Lance wailed throwing himself onto the ground.

Shiro smiled softly, “Alright guys, not important. How about we watch a movie and I’ll order another pizza?” he said, effectively ending the argument. 

“Only if it’s Twilight. I want you to tell me how accurate it is,” Pidge said snorting as her brother nearly choked, “Absolutely not,” he replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I finished season 4 and I'm both happy and mad? I loved that Pidge got the spotlight, and Matt is instantly one of my favorite characters but Shiro was a jerk. Keith was off risking his life and struggling with it all and Shiro was just getting mad at him. Not cool DreamWorks.


	4. Chapter 4

The end credits starting roll across the screen as Lance slowly sat up, a groan escaping as he stretched his long limbs. He looked around the room and spotted the sleeping forms of his friends all piled among the pillows and blankets and empty pizza boxes.

He slowly rose to his feet and walked to the window. The rain had stopped a few hours ago, but the clouds still hung low in the sky, threatening to break any moment. He slowly opened the window, inhaling the crisp fall air. He closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying the peaceful night. 

Only the occasional roar of a passing car disrupted the soft sounds of the crickets. Far off a dog barked, it’s voice echoing into the night. A howl echoed out in response, the sound hollow and eerie in the quiet apartment. Lance sighed softly, pushing the window closed again. He slowly made his way to the bathroom, his thoughts elsewhere as he stumbled through the dark apartment.

Two glowing orbs gleamed out of the darkness, causing Lance to jump backward with a yelp. He slowly calmed his heart rate as a black wolf stepped out of the shadows, it’s head hung low and ears pricked forward. 

“Oh my god, Keith you scared the shit out of me,” Lance said his hand over his heart. 

Keith moved forward almost methodically, eyes gleaming as he walked. Lance stepped back as Keith got closer and closer.

“Keith, buddy?” Lance asked, fear starting to build in his chest as the beast neared. 

The wolf stalked past him, only pausing in front of the door. A soft growl grew from his chest as his claws scraped the door. 

Lance walked up hesitantly, “Keith, what’s wrong?” he asked, his hand reaching out for Keith’s shoulder. 

Keith whirled around as soon as Lance’s hand touched him, his eyes narrowed and fur standing on end. A growl ripped through his body as he stalked toward Lance. 

Lance peered over his shoulder, “Shiro! Matt! A little help?” he squeaked softly, afraid to shout any louder. 

Lance watched in horror as Keith’s muscles tensed, his body launching straight for Lance, jaws snapping. 

Lance pinched his eyes shut, a silent prayer sent up in his last moments. He stood waiting for his death, but it never came. Instead, a yelp echoed through the apartment followed by vicious growling. Lance slowly opened his eyes, and instantly regretted it.

An even larger gray wolf was locked onto Keith’s throat as the two rolled on the ground. Lance was frozen in place as the deadly dance continued. 

After what felt like forever the apartment fell back to quiet, only a soft whimper audible. Keith was on the ground, ears flattened to his head as a soft whimper escaped his mouth. The larger gray wolf stood over him, tail and ears pulled high, white teeth bared. 

Lance’s eyes widened as he scanned the gray wolf, eyes falling on a stump where a front leg should be. “Shiro?” he asked softly, but the wolf didn’t turn around.

“Let them play it out,” Matt said, his voice causing Lance to jump. 

“What?” he nearly screamed in reply. “They’re going to kill each other,” he said watching the two face off silently.

“Shiro has to prove his status as alpha,” Matt said folding his arms over his chest. 

Lance stared at him, unable to string a coherent sentence together, “What?” he repeated.

Matt snorted, “Lotor must have summoned his pack. I’d recognize that look in Keith’s eyes anywhere. He was trying to follow his orders. The only way to stop it from happening if for Keith to either get kicked out of the Galra Pack or if Shiro claims him as a pack member,” Matt said eyes falling on the staredown. 

Shiro growled softly, stepping forward again as Keith shrunk back farther, slowly pressing himself into the ground. After a moment Keith rolled onto his back, tail tucked and eyes closed, his neck barred to Shiro in submission. 

Shiro stepped over him, the growl still coming from his throat. For a second Lance thought Shiro was going to attack, his bared teeth just inches from Keith’s neck. Finally, he lept off him, shaking his pelt out, but keeping his tail and ears high. 

Matt dropped his gaze in respect, a soft whine escaping his throat. Lance stared at him in confusion. 

Keith rolled back over, his eyes opening. His pupils were like small pinpricks in his violet eyes. They flicked over the group standing around him before seeming to enlarge, bring him back to reality. 

“Aaand he’s back,” Matt said striding over, squatting down next to Keith. 

“You good?” Matt said placing his hand on Keith’s shoulder, his thumb slowly stroking the fur. Keith’s eyes flickered over the group, mouth opening to a hard pant as he stared.

“Shh, Keith no one blames you,” Matt said as if reading Keith’s thoughts. Keith’s body pressed low into the ground, shame pressing him harder into the floor. 

Shiro barked, his eyes on Keith as he stood and started toward the back bedroom, Keith slowly rising to his paws and slinking after him, tail and ears still tucked low. 

“I thought that Keith wasn’t apart of the pack after Lotor left him,” Pidge said, her voice surprisingly calm.

Matt shrugged, “I guess Lotor had a pretty strong grip on Keith. He should be fine now though. Shiro established himself as alpha when he defended the pack,” Matt said with a yawn.

Lance turned to him, “I thought he was going to kill me,” he said his arms folding over his chest. 

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, he can’t now because when Shiro defended you like that he recognized you as a pack member,” Matt said shrugging. 

“Wait a minute, I want to be part of the pack,” Hunk said and paused in thought, “Unless I have to get attacked by Keith too, then I take it back,” he added quickly.

“Where did they go?” Pidge asked.

Matt shrugged in response, “Probably to talk Keith off the edge. I’m sure he’s freaking out right now.”

Lance snorted, “Him? I’m the one that almost got killed!” he snapped waving his arms.

Matt rolled his eyes, “Oh please, Keith can hardly stand, there is no way he could kill you in this state. But honestly, he just got alpha called from across the town and it set him into a complete instinctual mode. That’s some scary stuff,” Matt said walking back to the couch. 

“No kidding,” Lance replied, his eyes looking down the hallway where Shiro and Keith vanished.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Lance strode into the small kitchen and froze. Keith sat on one of the stools, a cup of tea in his hands and bloodshot eyes peering into the cup. Lance sighed softly and walked forward, sitting down next to him. 

“Listen, Lance,” Keith began but Lance held up a hand. “I know, you’re sorry for almost killing me. Matt explained what happened, you don’t have to apologize. It wasn’t your fault,” Lance said with an encouraging smile. 

Keith’s face was blank as he stared at him, “Really? You’re not mad?” Keith finally replied, shifting to face him. 

Lance shook his head, “No, I think I was just feeling a little left out. I can tell you, Shiro and Matt go way back,” Lance started slowly, unsure how much he wanted to share.

Keith smiled sadly, “Don’t worry. You don’t have to worry about me getting in your way any longer,” Keith said rubbing the back of his neck. 

Shiro walked into the kitchen, stifling a yawn. His approached Keith from behind and dropped a hoodie onto Keith’s lap. 

“What’s this?” Keith asked his head slightly cocked.

“My sweatshirt,” Shiro said pulling up a chair to sit with the other two. “Matt and I used to do it when we left the Galra Pack. We would take turns wearing each other's sweatshirts so we had that scent on them. I wore it a few days ago, and I had Matt wear it last night after what happened. It should help you resist Lotor’s commands because honestly, I don’t know that I’ll be able to stop you once you’re recovered” he said waiting for Keith to put it on. 

“Thanks, Shiro, but-” Keith began but Shiro interrupted, “No. Keith, you’re not leaving,” he said his eyes hard. 

Keith’s face paled, “How did you know?” he replied his voice small. 

“I’m not stupid. You feel bad about what happened and are worried you’re going to hurt someone. So you want to leave to protect us. You’re worried that us growing closer to you will end badly for us. Keith, nothing will happen. You’re safe now. We’re stronger together,” Shiro said placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder. 

Keith’s face was blank as he stared at Shiro, his mouth open slightly.

“Also, you packed a bag already, so that was sort of a giveaway,” Shiro added with a small smirk. “Now, I can tell you didn’t sleep at all last night, so go back to bed. Don’t worry, it will be fine,” Shiro said, pointing to the back bedroom. 

Keith’s face was completely blank for a moment before a soft smile spread across his face and he slowly rose to this feet with a grunt. He pulled the sweatshirt over his head and pulled up the hood, taking in the strong scent of his packmates. He paused at the door to the Kitchen, “Thank you, Shiro. For everything,” he said before vanishing into his bedroom.

“Wow, you really are a dad,” Lance said with a grin. Shiro snorted, “Someone has to look after him. He certainly won’t do it himself,” Shiro replied with a soft smile.

“Shiro, can I ask you something?” Lance asked, leaning toward him.

Shiro nodded, waiting for him to continue. “Matt told me that when you jumped in to protect me you were recognizing me as a pack member,” Lance said, looking up to Shiro.

“Lance, you might not have known it, but you have always been a pack member. I just had to let Keith know that. When we first started our pack, Matt insisted that we let Pidge in, but I said it was too dangerous for her. I talked it over with Allura and she sided with Matt. She said it was best that we mark anyone close to us as pack members so the Galra know they can’t mess with them without risking an all-out pack war,” Shiro said.

“How did we get in the pack without knowing?” Lance asked.

Red crept across his cheeks as he watched Lance, “The leather bracelet I gave you for your birthday has the pack scent on it,” Shiro said.

Lance glanced down at his wrist where the bracelet sat. It had two small paw prints stamped into the leather on either side of a silhouetted wolf on a dark stone.

“Wow, you sneaky little-” Lance started but got cut off as Pidge barged into the kitchen, her brother trailing her. 

“I can’t believe you,” Pidge shouted at her brother. 

Matt shrugged behind her, his eyes pleading for help as they met Shiro.

“What did Matt do this time?" Shiro said his voice aspirated. He paused for a second before continuing, "Actually do I even want to get involved?”

Matt shook his head, “We ruined her hypothesis because we forgot to tell her that Allura is one of us too,” Matt said running his hand through his hair.

Pidge threw up her hands, “I was so close! I thought she was the manager. I mean it would have been perfect, she’s a vet! She can get you guys all the worm medication you could possibly desire,” she said with a smirk.

Matt’s face fell, “How dare you? I’ll have you know I’m completely worm free!” Matt shouted.

Pidge smirked, “I’m sure it was a recent change in events,” she said folding her arms over her jacket.

“Speaking of Allura, she wants us to meet her for breakfast,” Shiro said cutting off the sibling’s bickering. “She said she wants to know how Keith’s doing and how you guys are taking the news,” Shiro said grabbing his jacket.

“What about Keith?” Pidge asked starting to follow Shiro towards the door.

“He’ll be fine. Just to be safe I’ll lock his bedroom door. The pack scent should keep him from letting his instincts take over. And if somehow they do, wolves can’t open doors very easily,” Shiro said with a snort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't know anything about werewolves. I had to google is werewolves could talk haha  
> Anyway, I hope you're enjoying it, let me know if you have any ideas, advice, or comments!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long, I had to go back and add this part in because it needed more time and development before the next part!

“Pidge, it’s just the Theory of General Relativity, Einstein predicted their presence nearly 100 years before. It’s just the gravitational waves created by the collision of the two black holes,” Keith’s voice came from Shiro’s apartment as Lance stood at the door. 

“Oh right. Vergo and LIGO detected the cosmic chirps!” Pidge’s excited voice responded, followed by a frantic tapping of keys. 

Lance’s face was scrunched in confusion as he opened the door to the apartment. 

Keith and Lance were sitting on the floor of the living room with books and papers sprawled out across every surface. 

“Oh hey Lance!” Pidge yelled excitedly, not even looking up from her computer. 

Keith raised a hand in greeting but his eyes were scanning over the pages of the book. 

Lance chewed his lip for a moment before breaking into a grin, “Pidge you ready for our movie night?” Lance chirped. 

Pidge’s eyes ripped up from the screen and her face whitened slightly, “Shit! Lance, I completely forgot!” she said her eyes glancing back to her screen. 

“Keith is helping me with my research,” Pidge said slowly. 

“Pidge, you can go. I can help you later,” Keith said stretching his back out and moving to stand up. 

Pidge shoved him back onto the floor before he could fully stand, “Keith, no we can’t stop now! We’re so close!” she said, her voice louder than it needed to be. 

“Lance, I’m so sorry, can we reschedule?” Pidge said, with a soft smile.

Lance nodded slowly, the smile vanishing from his face, “Sure Pidge, no problem,” he said softly. He forced a smile and walked forward, “Need any help? I offer my services as an upgrade. There is a far better model than Keith. IE, me,” he said with a wink.

Keith rolled his eyes, but a small smile crept across his face.

Pidge shook her head, “Keith has his degree in astrophysics and is working at the University for his masters. I think you’re the dial up to his high speed internet,” Pidge said, pushing her glasses back onto her nose. 

Lance’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Keith. “What?” he choked. “You have been back for like a week, how do you already have a job there?” Lance finally replied, regaining his composure. 

Keith shrugged, “A professor there owed me a favor, and Shiro threatened to kick me out if I didn’t start paying my half of the rent,” Keith said.

“Because I paid the rent all by myself for six months!” Shiro’s voice rang out from the back bedroom. 

Keith huffed softly, a soft smile on his lips. 

“But really, Lance, I’m sorry about canceling,” Pidge said with an encouraging smile.

\-----------------------------------------

“Hunk, he’s smart too,” Lance said with a moan as he walked down the street with Hunk. 

“Lance, you’re smart too,” Hunk said in reply, but Lance ignored him to continue his rant. 

“Everyone had been spending so much time with him. Even Pidge. She’s always talking about some space thing with him,” Lance said with a pout. 

“He’s just so cool and smart and a good fighter and annoying and lame,” Lance said folding his arms over his chest. 

Hunk shrugged, “He’s also a wolf hybrid, but I guess that isn’t important right now,” Hunk said. 

“He’s so calm, it’s like nothing fazes him,” Lance said.

Hunk shrugged, “He does have that lone wolf-thing going for him,” Hunk said and paused, nudging Lance with his elbow, “Heh, lone wolf, get it?”

Lance moaned dramatically, “Pidge is spending so much time with him!” he whined flailing his arms for effect. 

Hunk shrugged, “Relax Lance, I think you’re overreacting. He’s actually a pretty nice guy. He came over the other day-” he began but Lance quickly interrupted.

“What?! Did he corrupt you too? Did he turn you!? Please tell me you're not a werewolf too!” Lance whined loudly. 

“Lance, Keith can’t turn anyone. The only reason the Galra could turn Shiro and Matt was because of the Druid’s science experiments on them,” Hunk said.

“That’s what he wants you to think!” Lance replied.

“Lance, I thought you liked him? You aren’t still mad at him are you?” Hunk asked, ignoring Lance’s comment.

Lance exhaled slowly. Hunk was using The Voice. The one he uses when he's tired of Lance’s jokes and just wants to help. 

“I don’t know. I guess everything made more sense before Keith got here. I feel like he’s just a better version of me. Everyone seems to like him more than me,” Lance said, his voice soft as he spoke. 

Hunk shook his head, “Lance, you know that’s not true. I think you just need to spend more time with him. I think you guys could be like a dynamic duo! Lance and Keith!” Hunk said happily. 

“Oh! I got it! The perfect thing for pack bonding! I’m going to go talk to Allura!” Hunk shouted and dashed off, leaving Lance shouting after him in confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update will be long and fast. I have it written, I just need to proof-read, so stay tuned! Again, comments, suggestions, and criticism are welcome. (:


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied about proof reading, so... sorry about that.

“Hey, Shiro!” a voice came from inside the closed door. “Shiro, it’s been over a week, you don’t have to keep locking the door!” Keith said, knocking on the bedroom door. He huffed in annoyance and glanced down at his arms. The bruising was just faint marks across his skin and the cuts were almost completely healed, just faint scabs. He still wore Shiro’s sweatshirt, hardly ever taking it off since the first night, yet Shiro still locked his bedroom door at night, and Keith was pretty sure it was more to keep him from running away than fear of Keith’s instincts kicking in.

“Right, sorry,” Shiro said walking forward, fumbling with the lock. He pushed open the door, but the room was empty.

“Shit!” Pidge screeched, her hand over her heart to calm her heart rate as Keith rolled through the open window next to her. He grinned apologetically and plopped onto the couch next to her, “How did you do that?” Pidge said looking out the window of the sixth floor apartment. 

“When you live with a man with wolf hearing, you can’t use the front door,” Keith said leaning back. 

“Keith!” Shiro’s panicked voice came from the bedroom. Keith held up a hand to stop Pidge from saying anything, “Give it a sec,” he said with an eye roll. Shiro came skidding into the room, “Keith’s missing,” he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth as he looked at Pidge. 

Keith lifted a hand in greeting and Shiro exhaled sharply. “Fuck, you scared me,” he said.

“Watch your fucking language!” Matt’s voice came from the kitchen. Shiro ran his hand down his face, “I don’t know why I put up with you two,” Shiro said.

Keith snorted, “Because you lovvvveee us,” he whined, his voice like a soft dog whimper. 

Shiro rolled his eyes, “Absolutely not,” he said with a snort. 

“But that’s about to change!” Allura sang as she walked into the apartment, Hunk and Lance trailing her. 

“Hunk and I have a great plan for today and all of you will be best friends by the end and everyone will love it,” Allura said, her voice excited.

Lance raised an eyebrow as he stared at her, “You told me we were going to the mall, but I’m beginning to think I’ve been tricked,” he said with a pout.

“God forbid I hope we’re not,” Keith said with a huff. Lance scowled, meeting Keith’s gaze.

“We’re going to the forest preserve,” Allura started, instantly getting Keith’s attention. “And we’re going to play an amazing game of capture the flag! And then we’re having a sleepover at my house! It will teach all of you how to work together! Plus it will give Keith time to shift, I can tell how uncomfortable you’ve been the last week not shifting at all,” Allura said, causing Keith to grow red. 

“I call the wolves for my team,” Pidge shouted, her hand shooting up into the air.

“Wait, yeah. This is totally unfair. I can’t outrun a wolf, and I certainly can’t track anyone down with my nose,” Lance said with a huff. 

“Actually the only one here that has strong enough senses to track anything is Keith, and he can’t do anything to extraneous or he’ll pull at the stitches I gave him last week,” Allura said. 

“And to even the playing field, each one of us has to travel in a group of two or more. It’s also for safety, in case anyone sees us, we’re just on a walk,” she said with a wink. 

“Alright, I guess. But what if we get lost? That park is pretty big,” Hunk asked, his face nervous. 

“Just shout or howl,” Allura said with a shrug.

Keith stood up abruptly, “No howling,” he snapped. 

“Why?” Lance asked leaning in, eyebrow arched mischievously.

“Keith, I’m going to shift now so that I can get my prosthetic on. Can you help me?” Shiro said walking into his bedroom. Keith raced after him, glad to leave the conversation.

Pidge turned to Matt as soon as the two were gone, “So.. what’s his deal?” she asked.

Matt shrugged, “I’ll show you when we get there,” he said with a smirk. 

A few minutes passed before Shiro walked out, a metal prosthetic attached to his front leg. His silvery fur fluffed out, making him look even larger than before. Keith followed after, his tail swaying back and forth as he trotted into the room. 

“Glad to see you happy back in your own skin,” Matt said with a snort as Keith stretched out his long legs. 

 

They loaded up the car, the three wolves crammed in the back of the car, their annoyed gruffs ringing though the car. 

“I don’t think anyone is here,” Pidge said jumping out of the car as soon as they pulled up. 

“That’s because it’s a shitty day,” Lance said glancing up at the clouds. Low rain clouds hung over the trees, wind ripping through the trees with a gentle roar. Lance shivered slightly, wishing he had bought another jacket. 

“The creek will divide the two territories. Hunk, Shiro, Lance and I will be one team and Matt, Keith and Pidge will be the other. To even the teams I’m not changing,” she said excitedly. 

Matt grunted and Allura turned on him, “You saw what happened last time I played! It took weeks to get all the mud out of my coat!” Allura cried folding her arms over her chest. 

Lance inched his way over to Matt, bumping the brown wolf with his side and gesturing toward Keith. Matt grinned and nodded, tipping his head back slowly.

Keith caught the movement and his eyes widened, ready to spring forward, but Matt’s howl rang out before he could move. It took less than a second before Keith completely froze, his own head tipping back and his voice joining in with Matt. The song lasted for seconds before Matt cut off, with a snort, Lance buckled over in laughter.

Keith slowly lowered his muzzle and opened his eyes. His pupils were like pinpricks in his eyes for a moment before enlarging. A growl escaped his throat as his eyes focused back on Matt.

After a moment he took off, Matt quickly fleeing from the smaller black wolf. The two streaked through the empty parking lot before Keith finally caught up, the two locked in a wrestling match. 

Lance was buckled over in laughter, “He-” Lance choked out in between fits of laughter, but never finished, his side aching from the display.

Pidge watched the two wolves wrestle, cheering Keith on. Shiro sat off to the side, his eyes half closed in annoyance as he watched. Finally the two broke apart, Matt’s face having a lopsided smile as he laughed. Keith snorted and wacked his paw across Matt’s nose before sitting back down, eyes narrowed on Matt. Matt continued to laugh softly, the sound coming out as a series of whines. 

Allura laughed softly at the display, but stopped as she saw the confused faces. “Keith would like me to express his displeasure with you Lance,” she said with a snort. Keith scowled, a vocalized series of whines that reminded Lance of his neighbor's husky. 

“He didn’t use those words, but you’re better off not knowing what he said,” Allura said with a shrug. 

“What did I do?” Lance said holding up his hands, playing innocent. 

Keith barked again, and Lance shrugged, “Sorry I don’t speak wolf,” he said with smirk.

“Anyway, because Keith was born with the ability to shift, he has much greater instincts than the rest of us. Hearing a pack member howl sets in off on a compete instinctual spike,” Allura said as Keith flattened his ears in annoyance. 

“Everyone ready?” Allura said handing Pidge a bandana to use as a flag. Everyone nodded and she clapped her hands excitedly, “Well then, let’s go!” 

Matt turned to Keith with a grin, _'I think you’re getting soft. I totally kicked your ass,'_ Matt said with a snort, taking off like a rocket towards their territory. 

Keith felt his instincts kick in, instantly taking off after him, _'You wish'_ Keith barked, but stopped, trotting back toward Pidge with a whine.

Pidge walked through the trees tentatively, “I’m really not a fan of nature. I’m more of an indoor person. I think I get enough nature in the video games I play. I’m on level 12 of one that takes place in the woods,” she ranted, following Keith through the underbrush. 

Keith snorted in response, turning to her with a playful bounce. 

She pressed her lips together in thought, “I should build a wolf translator, then we could really kick some ass,” Pidge said tapping her fingers on her arm in thought. 

Keith’s tail flicked back and forth in response. He padded through the trees, his paws almost completely silent as walked through the leaves. He paused at the edge of the creek before hopping over it in a graceful leap, finally reaching their territory for the game. 

Pidge paused at the edge, looking up at Keith with a raised eyebrow, “Dude, I’m pretty short and you made that look really easy,” she said backing up to get a running start. 

Keith rolled his eyes, in reality the water only stretched about 2 feet across but the mud from the rain added about another foot on each side. Pidge wasted no time leaping across, her boots landing on the hard ground, her balance swaying. Keith stepped forward in an instant for her to grab onto his pelt. She grinned a thanks as they continued on. 

After another few minutes of walking, they finally spotted Matt. _'What took you so long? Stuck babysitting my sister?_ Matt teased. 

_You know, the more you talk the larger the gap between you and her becomes in my favorite Holt list. If you’re not careful, you’re dog will out rank you,'_ Keith said with a cocky grin. 

Matt growled in annoyance, _'No fair, he’s afraid of you because you reek of wolf!_ Matt whined. 

Pidge grinned, “I don’t need a translator to know Keith just roasted you, Matt,” she said folding her arms over her chest. She held up and hand and Keith quickly high fived her, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he grinned. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“I don’t think Pidge can get up there,” Hunk said as he watched Lance climb a tree. 

The tree had fallen against another tree, wedging the tree at a steep angle. The bark was falling off and rotting, raining down small pieces as Lance inched his way up the massive trunk. “That’s the point. It will be easy to find, but Matt and Keith obviously can’t get up here, and even if Pidge can, it will take her too long so we’ll have time to tag her,” Lance said finally getting high enough. He unfurled the bright red bandanna and stuck it in the first branch of the tree, nearly 10 feet up off the ground. 

Shiro grumbled softly from below, his ears pricked forward. “I don’t want to hear it Shiro, it’s perfectly fair,” Lance said.

Allura laughed softly, “No, Lance, he wants you to put it a little higher just in case,” she said as Shiro nodded eagerly. 

“Wow Shiro, I didn’t take you as the competitive type,” Lance mused, moving the banana even higher up the tree.

Shiro growled softly from below, causing Allura to raise her eyebrow. “He’s ready to ‘kick their asses’,” she said using finger quotes. 

“Alright, are we ready?” Hunk said as Lance starting inching his way down. 

Shiro barked loudly, the barks echoing across the park. 

“Shiro, I think a simple ‘go’ would have worked. There was no reason to trash talk them,” Allura said, hiding a smile with her hand. 

“Let’s go!” Lance shouted, dropping to the ground and taking off. 

Lance ran through the woods, heading straight toward the creek. A devious smile crept across his face as he neared, a plan already forming in his head. 

Lance stopped at the edge of the creek, spotting the black wolf trotting forward, his tail flicking back and forth as he moved. 

“Hey Keith buddy, you ready you get your ass whooped?” Lance shouted. Keith’s ear flickered toward him, but he stared down the creek bed, watching Shiro chase Matt back across the creek. 

“Hey Keith!” Lance shouted as he lept across the creek. Keith spun around toward him, his ears pricked high as he spotted Lance on their territory. 

Lance grinned as Keith moved toward him. Before Keith could get any closer Lance tipped his head back, cupping his hands around his mouth and howling. 

Keith froze in his tracks and tipped his head back, howling alongside Lance. Lance laughed softly, and started to run, but before he could get any farther, Keith’s head dropped low, his eyes locked onto Lance. A deep growl escaped his throat as he stalked forward.

“Keith?” Lance yelped softly as he took a small step backward.

Keith continued to stalk forward, his fur standing on end. 

Lance stepped back again, his foot catching on the rocks. He yelped loudly as he fell backward, landing in the mud with a thud. Lance looked up in a panic, fear flooding him.

Keith buckled over, laughter escaping in the form of whines and his tail thudding the ground softly. He snorted, finally recovering enough to sit up straight. 

Lance’s jaw dropped, as he stared at Keith, “You snake! You just played me!” he said, a small smile spreading across his mouth. Keith’s tongue hung out of the side of his mouth as he laughed. 

Lance narrowed his eyes and flicked his hand toward Keith, hurddling a blob of mud. It smacked right into Keith’s nose, sticking for a moment before plopping to the ground. 

Keith narrowed his eyes, dropping into a playful bow before leaping forward, landing in the mud over Lance, splattering it onto him. 

Lance wiped the mud from his face with a scowl, “Oh it’s on!” he shouted scrambling to his feet after Keith.

\-------------------------

“Run Matt!” Pidge yelled as the two of them sprinted toward the creek, Shiro in hot pursuit. Matt barked, taunting Shiro into the chase. Shiro spurred on, peeling away from Pidge and chasing after Matt. 

Pidge turned back as soon as they were out of sight, looking deeper into the territory for the red flag. They had already scoured the half closest to the parking lot, with no luck.

Pidge ran through the woods, ducking under branches as she prayed no one would hear her. She froze as a spot of red appeared in the corner of her eye.

She turned slowly and frowned, “Well shit,” she mumbled looking up at the flag nearly 15 feet in the air. 

She dug into her pocket and pulled a small whistle she had snuck from Shiro’s apartment. She blew the whistle quickly, but only silence came. She grinned and returned the whistle to her pocket. 

“Quick! Tag her!” Lance’s voice echoed as he raced into the clearing, Hunk trailing close behind. Lance was coated in mud from head to toe, his jacket caked and cracking from the drying mud. A lopsided smile spread across his face, a big muddy paw print stamped onto his cheek. 

Pidge squeaked but remained where she was standing, her gaze looking past both of them as a wolf streaked toward him, black pelt coated in thick mud. 

Lance snorted, “Once we tag you, game over! Thumbs for the win!” he shouted offering two thumbs up as Keith neared. Pidge backed up until she was standing underneath the tree, a grin still on her face, “Suck it Lance!” she shouted, sticking her middle finger up.

Lance raised an eyebrow in confusion when Keith lept between them. He lept forward, landing on the roots of the uprooted tree. He kept running, scaling the tree in a few quick strides. Keith clambered into the V of the tree and dropped the bandanna into Pidge’s waiting hands. 

“Losers!” Pidge shouted as she ran, leaving Hunk and Lance to recover from their daze. Lance and Hunk took off after her, but it was too late. She lept over the creek, raising the bandana over her head with a victorious shout. 

“Ha! You just got creamed by some bad bitches!” Pidge shouted, hopping back over the creek. Lance scowled, “You cheated some how, and I’m going to figure out how!” he said folding his arms over his chest.

“Are we going to have to get a ladder to get Keith down?” Hunk asked, looking back toward the tree. Shiro and Matt’s barks came from the clearing as they neared. 

Keith was still sitting in the tree, his tail swaying back and forth from the branch. He barked back at Shiro with an eye roll as he lept from the branch, running back down the tree, stumbling into Matt as he hit the ground with a soft grunt. 

Matt snorted and shoved Keith away, his muddy fur starting to cake over. 

“Lance, uhh what were you and Keith up to?” Pidge asked, an eyebrow raised with a snicker as she stared at the wolf paw print stamped onto his cheek. 

Lance’s face reddened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, “I totally destroyed him in a quick match of mud wrestling,” he said with a smirk.

Keith barked in protest, but Lance held up a hand, “Nope, uh-uh, don’t understand wolf,” Lance said with a victorious smile as he turned to walk toward the parking lot.

“You two are not getting in my car like that,” Allura called after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My own dog inspired me for this chapter. I swear he can climb anything, but only once because God forbid I get photographic proof...


End file.
